PBMM CH57

“A-Qing, have you really decided to leave with Lu Linguan?” Mo Chuyu had always considered herself a tomboy, but looking at the youth, tears couldn’t stop welling up in her eyes. Seeing the youth hesitate without answering, she thought of something, hurriedly wiped away her tears, and explained with a choked voice:

“You don’t have to worry, I’m not together with Lu Linguan. Lying to you before was my fault. Can A-Qing forgive me?”

Regarding deceiving He Qing, Mo Chuyu’s intestines were green with regret. She had only wanted A-Qing to break free from Lu Linguan so he could live his own life in the future, but she never imagined that A-Qing had already been kicked out of the He family at that time.

Having just lost his father, then kicked out of the house, and subsequently seeing with his own eyes that she and Lu Linguan were together—for a youth who grew up pampered in the palm of everyone’s hands, just how massive must the blow have been!

Lu Linguan told her A-Qing committed suicide. Mo Chuyu ran crying to Changxiang Bridge. She walked from the beginning of the bridge to the end, then searched from the top of the bridge to underneath it. Even though there wasn’t a single trace, purely because of that infinitesimally small possibility, she hired a salvage boat and searched for an entire night.

Mo Chuyu couldn’t face the thought that if she had personally pushed the person she wanted to protect into the abyss, how on earth was she going to continue living? Fortunately, because news of her frantic search for He Qing spread, at the crack of dawn, someone told her He Qing had been taken back by Zheng Chenke.

She practically ran with wild joy to the He residence to see He Qing, only to be turned away at the door by Zheng Chenke. She had waited anxiously and uneasily just like that until now.

When she saw the somewhat pale-faced youth standing behind Lu Linguan, Mo Chuyu truly felt a sense of regaining what was lost. As long as he was alive, as long as he was still alive!

Her trembling hand landed on the back of the youth’s hand, holding it just like when they were kids. “A-Qing, I will protect you.”

As long as Zheng Chenke died, A-Qing would never encounter danger again.

She didn’t understand why an astute businessman like Uncle He actually couldn’t see through Zheng Chenke’s wild ambitions, leaving A-Qing to suffer an ending where all his shares were snatched away. But she would absolutely never let anyone hurt A-Qing again!

Absolutely not!

“Chuyu…” Somewhat scalding tears dripped onto the back of his hand. The youth’s face was pale, yet he tried hard to reveal his usual smile. “Stop crying. I don’t blame you…”

“A-Qing…” Mo Chuyu’s tears finally burst forth, no longer able to be suppressed. She hugged the youth tightly, her eyes full of murderous intent. Not a single person who hurt A-Qing would be spared!

Lu Linguan stood in the distance. Since Mo Chuyu agreed to help, he should have been happy, but seeing the two hugging each other without any estrangement, his gaze darkened.

As expected, he should do what he planned before: find a pretty chain, lock A-Qing up, and not let anyone see him.

But it wasn’t too late now. Once Zheng Chenke was eliminated, the shares and A-Qing would both be his.

Happily anticipating the future, Lu Linguan didn’t notice the young girl’s icy gaze falling upon him from afar, full of murderous intent.

[A gentle, affectionate, soft embrace…] He Qing thoroughly enjoyed being hugged by the girl, gleeful beyond measure. [I really like Chuyu so much, she’s always so gentle and cute.]

The system detected the emotional fluctuations emanating from Mo Chuyu. [Cute? Gentle?]

[Yeah, she was gentle in the past, and she’s cute now…]

The girl above him spoke with a cautious voice by his ear, as if terrified of scaring him, “A-Qing, right now… do you still like Lu Linguan? Do you still want to be with him?”

Like?

When he was pinned to the bed, crying and begging desperately yet receiving no release; when the pain of feeling his entire body being torn apart appeared; when he struggled to roll off the bed, trying to crawl toward the door, only to be grabbed back without hesitation by the young man…

Scene after scene appeared before the youth’s eyes. He tugged at the corners of his mouth, revealing a dismal, bitter smile. “I truly, really wish I could forget him…”

Even after being treated like that, he still couldn’t hate him, yet he could no longer purely like this person as he did before.

He was saved by Lu Linguan once, and harmed by him once. If only love and hatred could cancel each other out just like these two times.

He Qing had never understood why his dad gave the shares to Zheng Chenke, but now he seemed to understand a little. If the shares had been left to him, Lu Linguan wouldn’t have revealed his true colors so quickly. He would have held onto beautiful expectations, giving all of himself to him without leaving a single bit, and then… been abandoned.

The pain throughout his body was still not as unbearable as the pain in his heart at this moment. Faced with Mo Chuyu’s gentle embrace, his voice carried a sob, asking in confusion, “Why is it that even now, I still like him?”

Mo Chuyu’s hand paused. She gently patted the youth’s back, comforting softly, “Don’t be afraid, A-Qing. I will help you…”

The girl’s gaze abruptly turned cold. “Don’t be afraid…”

——

“The car has been prepared. How should the drug be administered?” Mo Chuyu looked at the transparent vial of liquid in Lu Linguan’s hand, her eyes full of suspicion. “Are you sure this drug won’t be detected?”

“Rest assured. Lu Ren used this drug to deal with quite a few people. The person who ingests it will experience numbness in their limbs while remaining conscious. At first, they can still speak, but once the base of their tongue goes numb, they can only watch helplessly as they die.”

Mo Chuyu’s eyes darkened, the hands at her sides clenching tightly. She looked at the young man holding the transparent liquid with a smile. “How do you plan to strike?”

“This drug is only effective when ingested. Zheng Chenke is already attacking Lu Ren, so I can’t show my face right now. Zheng Chenke will always appear at various banquets. You just need to add a little bit in, whether it’s in food or drink. Notify me immediately once you succeed; I naturally have a way to make him take the bait.”

“As long as Zheng Chenke dies ‘accidentally,’ everything belonging to A-Qing will be returned to him.”

Right in front of Mo Chuyu, Lu Linguan opened the bottle, poured a portion into another small bottle, and handed it to Mo Chuyu. “Tell me immediately once you succeed. This is the very last method left to protect A-Qing.”

The girl’s slender, fair hand took the vial. She shook it, watching the transparent, water-like drug slosh inside, her eyes showing doubt. “Won’t it be tasted?”

“Rest assured, absolutely not. It tastes slightly sweet on its own, but put in food, it cannot be tasted.”

Lu Linguan was extremely certain because, after all, he had personally tested the effects of this drug.

Back then, he personally dripped the transparent drug onto a cake, then personally delivered it, watching that steady man, who also had a bit of a childish temper, eat it.

“Uncle Zheng, have some cake.”

The handsome and steady middle-aged man laughed heartily. “Linguan is so sensible.”

Although he didn’t like eating this kind of thing, it was brought by a child after all. He smiled, took the small cake, and ate it. After finishing, he made a bitter face and patted Lu Linguan, who was looking up at him. “Linguan, Uncle doesn’t like eating sweet things, Auntie likes them. If you want to share next time, give it to Auntie, okay?”

The boy smiled sweetly and agreed, but never went to give it to Madam Zheng. After all, Madam Zheng couldn’t drive, could she?

After delivering the cake, he went all the way to the room. Opening the door, the small boy was concentrating on watching TV. He walked over and said gently, “A-Qing, let’s go play.”

Lu Linguan quietly reminisced, the boy’s joyful voice calling him ringing in his ears, “Linguan!”

He didn’t think he was wrong, only felt some regret. Back then, he shouldn’t have dragged A-Qing down too.

Fortunately, even though A-Qing might not be able to forgive him temporarily, once Zheng Chenke died just like his parents, no one would stop him anymore.

Lu Linguan shook the drug in his hand. He originally hadn’t wanted to find Mo Chuyu. This woman was troublesome, especially the way she looked at A-Qing, which made him want to dig those eyeballs out and crush them.

It’s just that now, he didn’t want to hurt A-Qing anymore. Unless it was absolutely a last resort, he absolutely would never let A-Qing be disappointed in him again.

Even Lu Linguan himself didn’t expect the “last resort” to arrive so quickly.

A day later, standing by the window, he watched cars park downstairs, then watched that man get out of the car, his expression sinking slightly.

Figured it out so quickly?

Yanking off the watch on his left wrist, Lu Linguan lifted his foot and crushed this tool used to deceive He Qing into powder.

He turned and went inside the room, speaking directly to the youth on the sofa who was staring blankly, not knowing what he was thinking about. “A-Qing, something happened to Chuyu at the cliff where you guys always go drag racing. Hurry up and put on your coat, we’re going there right now.”

“What?!”

The youth practically stood up in a panic and followed the young man’s footsteps to the door. “What happened to Chuyu? Doesn’t drag racing only happen at night? What exactly happened to her?”

“We’ll just…” With a muffled groan, the youth collapsed limply.

Gently catching him with both hands, Lu Linguan looked at He Qing, kissed his cheek, and said softly, “A-Qing, this is the last time.”

“You can forgive me, right?”

[Ding! Lu Linguan favorability: 99]

————

Zheng Chenke had cut off all of Lu Linguan’s escape routes. He was certain that a vile person like this, in order to save himself now, would definitely sell out He Qing.

It didn’t matter if He Qing couldn’t see his true colors clearly. He would make him see clearly, time and time again, whether a person like this was truly worth his affection!

The man brought his people to the door, only to find the door actually open. Lu Linguan sat on the sofa, the youth’s head resting against him. The youth’s eyes were tightly shut, his face flushed, occasionally letting out a few pained gasps.

He halted his footsteps, his gaze darkening.

Seeing Zheng Chenke enter, Lu Linguan moved the youth’s head away and stood up himself. He Qing, frowning, lay on the sofa, his eyes tightly closed the entire time.

“I know what you want, and I have already prepared it for you.” Lu Linguan smiled and reached out a hand, pointing at the youth, whose flushed face and condition clearly indicated something was abnormal.

“He’s yours.”

Zheng Chenke’s hands clenched abruptly, his sharp gaze locking tightly onto Lu Linguan. “What did you do to him!”

“Just drugged him a little.” As if he didn’t see Zheng Chenke’s murderous gaze, Lu Linguan chuckled lightly. “I saw it last time. You like A-Qing, don’t you? You like him, but don’t dare say it, right?”

“Makes sense. Right after his father died, you kicked him out of the house. If you said it, what are the chances A-Qing would believe it?”

“Ten percent? Twenty percent?” Lu Linguan’s eyes held the high-and-mighty look of one who had calculated everything. “He would think you have an ulterior motive, think you are deceiving him. Your liking will only push him further away. Anyway, since things are already like this, and A-Qing needs you right now, all you have to do is take him back, take off his clothes…”

“Shut up!” Zheng Chenke’s hands trembled with anger. The gaze he leveled at Lu Linguan was like looking at a dead man. “Take him down.”

Lu Linguan allowed himself to be taken away by the people behind the man. As he walked past Zheng Chenke with a calm face, he suddenly said, “If you don’t strike now, you will never have the chance again.”

“Once A-Qing wakes up and is clear-headed, he will definitely come looking for me. After all, the person he loves is me.”

Zheng Chenke’s body stiffened. In his ears was the young man’s seductive voice, coiling like a venomous snake, “The taste of A-Qing’s body is incredibly wonderful…”

“Do you really not want a taste?”

Lu Linguan was taken away. Zheng Chenke stood frozen in place, watching the youth on the sofa gasping weakly. His hands grasped futilely, his fair, tender cheeks intensely flushed. Compared to his previous beauty, there was now an added touch of alluring color.

Zheng Chenke felt he was going crazy. He clearly knew Lu Linguan harbored ill intentions, yet his words kept repeating in his ears.

Yes, the person A-Qing liked was Lu Linguan. Even if he was deceived by him, imprisoned by him, insulted by him to the point of mental instability, the very first person he would look for upon waking up would still be him.

He would rather give up everything to leave with the person who deceived him. As long as Lu Linguan existed for a single day, A-Qing would always follow him, and he would never have a chance.

He knew he should call a doctor for He Qing right now, and properly check if the suffering he endured these past few days had left any lingering ailments. But the alluring gasps, the fair, smooth hands trembling weakly against the black sofa…

The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His gaze darkened, and taking long strides, he picked the youth up.

“A-Qing…”

Hearing someone gently calling his name amidst his painful struggle, the youth’s frown relaxed slightly, and he murmured in response, “Linguan…”

The arms holding the youth tightened abruptly. Zheng Chenke’s gaze sank sharply. Holding He Qing tightly, he turned, walked out the door, and strode downstairs. Remembering something, he stopped his footsteps. “Release Lu Linguan.”

He looked down at the youth struggling in his dreams, a flash of gentleness in his eyes. A-Qing, you will learn that it was Lu Linguan who personally delivered you into my hands.

He is entirely unworthy of your affection, right?

Zheng Chenke brought the person back. The youth’s weak arm hung off the edge of the bed. When he kissed down, a sweetness bloomed between their lips. He didn’t suspect a thing, a look of infatuation flashing through his eyes, and he continued even more gently.

[Little Lu truly is smart. Pity he used it in the wrong place.] He Qing gasped slightly. Smelling the sweetness in the air, he slightly relaxed his body. [Pipe Dream.]

——

He Qing opened his eyes slightly. Before him was a familiar layout. This was… his room?

He tried to lift his arm, only to find every part of his body aching with soreness. A flash of pain crossed his face, and the youth bewilderingly recalled what had happened.

Linguan said Chuyu had an accident at the cliff, and they were about to go find her, and then… and then what happened…

Chuyu! Right, Chuyu! He had to go find Chuyu!

The youth struggled to sit up, only to see a long, large hand wrapped around him. He froze, turning his head little by little, and then saw the man’s sleeping face.

His eyes were full of disbelief. He looked down at himself, only belatedly realizing he was completely naked. Ambiguous marks chained together across his body. As his gaze landed on Zheng Chenke, the youth’s body trembled violently.

“Impossible… impossible…”

How could it be… Zheng Chenke?

This is fake! It must be!

Zheng Chenke was truly too exhausted. He had been awake all night since He Qing’s incident, and then had been continuously dealing with Lu Ren’s affairs. The moment he found traces of Lu Linguan, he rushed over. Having now gotten what he desired, he, who was usually vigilant, slept defenselessly beside the youth, the corners of his mouth still curling up slightly.

Immediately after, he heard a cry of pain. Even though it was deliberately suppressed to a very low volume, Zheng Chenke opened his eyes in an instant.

“A-Qing!”

The youth was haphazardly throwing clothes onto himself, falling heavily to the floor, his face full of pain. Zheng Chenke’s heart trembled, and he rolled out of bed intending to help him.

“Don’t touch me!”

Being pushed away without hesitation, the man froze. He hesitantly reached out his hand again. “A-Qing…”

The youth clutched his clothes tightly, his eyes full of fear and vigilance.

Zheng Chenke discovered in despair that the person he feared was indeed himself, fearing him even to the point where his body was trembling.

He originally had many things he wanted to say to the awakened youth. He wanted to say it was Lu Linguan who sold him out, he wanted to say he liked him very much. But now, seeing He Qing shivering like a small beast targeted by some terrifying predator, his entire body filled with despair and fear, Zheng Chenke couldn’t say a single thing.

The two looked at each other. Ultimately, the youth, with trembling hands, quickly put on his clothes and, without even looking at Zheng Chenke, ran out of the room in a miserable state.

The man sat stiffly on the floor, his illusion shattered. He turned and looked at the messy bed.

It seems… he ruined it again…

“Little Young Master, you’re awake. Come eat quickly, this is your favorite… Little Young Master? Little Young Master, where are you going?! Little Young Master!”

The butler looked bewildered as He Qing ran downstairs straight toward the door, and hurriedly chased after him. “Little Young Master, where do you want to go? This is your home!”

When he grabbed the person, he was instantly stunned. The youth’s face was covered in tears, and he was crying and sobbing.

“Little Young Master, what’s wrong? Did that Lu Linguan bully you? Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, no one will ever bully you again, we are home now…”

Home…

Even more tears surged up from the youth than before. Home? Where did he still have a home?

In their eyes, what exactly was he?

A tool to vent lust?

A toy that could be played with whenever they wanted?

“Grandpa Butler…” Looking at the old man who watched him grow up right in front of him, He Qing felt aggrieved and wanted to confide in him, but could he say it?

Zheng Chenke kicked him out after his father died; wouldn’t he also kick out Grandpa Butler?

This home was no longer his a long time ago.

“I’m leaving, I’m sorry…”

“Little Young Master? Where are you going, Little Young Master!”

The butler watched the youth leave, suddenly having an intuition that if he left, he would never return. He instantly panicked. “Don’t go, Little Young Master…”

“Where are you going!”

Zheng Chenke quickly ran down from upstairs, caught up with the youth, and grabbed his arm. He Qing turned around, his bloodshot eyes glaring at him hatefully. “What? Are you going to imprison me too, just like Lu Linguan!”

The man’s grip loosened. “I had no intention of doing that. A-Qing, listen to me…”

“Let go of me!”

He Qing shook off his hand and continued walking toward the door.

“A-Qing!” Zheng Chenke felt incredibly stifled in his heart, yet for the youth’s sake, he had to soften his voice, coaxing him, “You want to find Lu Linguan, right? I’ll drive you, okay?”

He Qing looked at him suspiciously, but thinking of Chuyu, he gritted his teeth and said, “I want to go to the cliff.”

The cliff?

The place where those rich playboys always gathered for drag racing? Zheng Chenke agreed without a moment’s hesitation. “Okay, I’ll take you.”

“The Cliff” was a nickname. Previously, this was a winding road built on a high cliff. Because of the twisting terrain, car accidents happened frequently. Later, a lower road was built, and hardly anyone used that road during the day anymore.

Afterwards, this road became a drag racing gathering spot for rich second-generation kids. He Qing’s favorite thing to do in the past was to go there to play. Because he didn’t have his own car, every time he went, he drove Zheng Chenke’s car, which led to a few unpleasant arguments between the two.

At that time, Zheng Chenke never imagined that one day he would fall in love with this arrogant, unreasonable little young master.

Many years later, when Zheng Chenke was riddled with illness—even breathing hurt so much his heart trembled, yet he persisted with treatment and refused to die—he would repeatedly recall the scene from that day.

Lu Linguan was screaming outside the car. His entire body was stiff, his hands on the steering wheel unable to move. The car wasn’t moving very fast; He Qing could have easily listened to Lu Linguan and jumped out, yet he insisted on grabbing the steering wheel.

The car door was pushed open, and he was pushed out. He fell onto the dusty ground like a rock unable to move, watching Lu Linguan desperately chase after the car that could no longer be stopped.

“A-Qing! A-Qing, jump out! A-Qing!”

You clearly could have stopped, you clearly could have jumped out. Why didn’t you?

— BOOM!!

A massive explosion sounded beneath the cliff. The man, his face scratched and bleeding from the rocks, watched with red eyes in the direction the car fell, tears streaming down.

A-Qing…

[Lu Linguan favorability: 100]

[Zheng Chenke favorability: 100]

[Congratulations Host on completing the mission. Please proceed to the next world.]

“Wait, wait, wait…” Floating in mid-air, He Qing looked at the man’s blood-red eyes and raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t you explain to me why ‘Pipe Dream’ was ineffective on him?”

“And I sense… the aura of the main world on him.” With Lu Linguan’s agonized, grief-stricken wails echoing in his ears, He Qing, as if he hadn’t heard anything, calmly crouched down. He extended his transparent hand and brushed it across the cheek of the stiff, immovable man, as if wiping his tears for him.

“Why is this person so familiar?” He Qing turned around, looking at the system floating in the air after detaching from his body. “Don’t you agree, Little Sys?”

[Please proceed to the next world as soon as possible.] The system, as if not hearing his words, still used its cold, mechanical voice to remind him.

He Qing sneered. “I remember I was supposed to observe the mission progress of the tasker in this world. What, not letting me observe this time?”

The system didn’t speak again. He Qing shrugged. “Alright, you’re just a worker anyway. Let’s go, to the next world. As compensation, don’t even think about getting the points for this world.”

The sphere of light in mid-air flashed twice, and ultimately said, [Your point accumulation is valid.]

He Qing’s movements froze. He looked down at the man radiating agony, and suddenly smiled. “Let’s go, to the next world.”

[The system’s point share.]

“I’ll share it with you, let’s go.”

A gust of wind blew past. A leaf from the roadside landed on the man’s face, perfectly covering his blood-red, despairing eyes.

——

He Qing once again endured the pain of soul reading and opened his eyes. What he saw was a somewhat dilapidated ceiling. He lifted his head somewhat stiffly, surprised to find the vision before him foggy and blurry.

Oh, right. This body had high myopia—the kind where beyond three meters, humans and animals were indistinguishable. Based on the memories, he fumbled for the glasses by the bed and put them on. Instantly, the world became clear.

A knock came from the entryway. He Qing got up and opened the door. Outside stood a smiling youth, looking about eighteen or nineteen years old. He smiled radiantly, lifting the lunchbox in his hand. “Teacher, I brought you food.”

He Qing smiled, saying gently, “Thank you, Ye Fei.”

[Sys~ What’s the theme this time again? ‘Heart-Digging Lover’? Exciting enough, I like it!]